My mother-in-law, Helen Maley, once told me about an experience she had as a teenage schoolgirl. She and her friends planned to do a good deed. It was close to Thanksgiving. They decided to buy some turkeys (no such thing as pre-cooked in those days) and distribute them to the poor in a New York City tenement neighborhood.

As the girls went from door-to-door handing out the turkeys, they were thanked politely but not profusely. It turned out that none of these apartments had a stove with an oven. At best they were equipped with a two-burner hot plate. Lesson learned.

Vineyarders are a generous lot, donating to food banks and community pantries, church groups, the hospital, the library — taking part in organized or individual efforts to produce three meals a day for the thousand-plus Island residents who may otherwise be going hungry. I hope nobody gets left out.

I am also hopeful that the federal government, which has been absent through much of the fall, will deliver those much-needed SNAP checks before the arrival of Thanksgiving. The state has stepped in temporarily, but the future is in limbo, as Emma Kilbride reported in last week’s Gazette. Without a place at the table for all of us, including pie for dessert, there isn’t much to feel thankful for.

Anita Botti is in Washington this week for the annual gala of Women Foreign Policy Group. Anita is on the board and host committee for the event. More than 400 guests come from various international affairs backgrounds, including government, business, diplomacy, tech, think tanks and academia. The group includes more than 50 ambassadors and deputy ambassadors.

The annual event is held to highlight the achievements of some of the most prominent change-makers and thought leaders shaping the world today. And Anita will be home in West Tisbury in time to share Thanksgiving dinner with her family.

The Island’s craftsmen – potters, painters, knitters and more — have taken over various spaces for their annual holiday shows. Vineyard Artisans will hold its 29th annual festival at the Agricultural Hall Thanksgiving weekend, on Nov. 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gayle Gardens is home to the long-running Island-Made Holiday starting Friday, Nov 21 and going through Dec. 24. And down the road, Featherstone has a lovely collection through the season.

Happy Birthday greetings to MJ Munafo on Friday, Nov. 21, to Trip Barnes on Saturday, Nov. 22, to Paddy Moore on Sunday, Nov 23, and to Willa Vigneault on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.

Congratulations and happy wedding anniversary on Monday, Nov. 24, to Allen and Lynne Whiting, as well as David and Jeanne Merry the same day.